Demonstrator role

To get the most out of your demonstrator experience, consider your study workload alongside potential responsibilities. UNSW School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering recommends that: 

• Undergraduates don't exceed 15-20 hours of demonstrator work per week 
• Postgraduate don't exceed 20-30 hours of demonstrator work per week 
• Full-time research students discuss their envisaged weekly hours of demonstrating work with their supervisor before accepting any roles 
• Research students do not work as demonstrators in their first or final terms 
• Students who have failed a progress review do not apply for a demonstrator position. 

Demonstrator hours 

International students: are usually permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week. Please refer to your student visa to confirm any working restrictions required. 

External applicants: if you’re not currently studying or working for UNSW, you’re permitted to work a maximum of 35 hours per week. 

UNSW employees: you aren’t permitted to exceed the working maximum of 35 hours per week, across the University. 

Applicants are responsible for ensuring they do not exceed maximum work hours. 

As a demonstrator, you’ll play a vital role in the teaching and learning experiences offered at the School. To ensure a positive experience for yourself, your convener and students be sure to: 

• Be familiar with the subject and able to answer basic questions confidently and accurately. 
• Attend the necessary training programs before commencing work 
• Follow the UNSW Code of Conduct which deals with confidentiality, discrimination, health and safety, harassment, etc 
• Conduct yourself as a professional: dress-code, language, punctuality, etc 
• Provide demonstration at the highest standard possible 
• Conduct all course communication and teaching activities in English 
• Always follow the directions of your course convenor 
• Contact your course convenors if you have any feedback on the activities, assessments and how students perform 
• Meet the requirements of your contract and ensure you comply with the working hours allocated to you (see Workload Restrictions) 
• Get help and advice when required 
• Perform your health and safety duties 
• Take part in a review program. Course convenors will attend one of your tutorial/labs and provide feedback accordingly

Around Week 8 of term, the MME Demonstrator Application Webform will be opened for approximately 2 weeks for positions in the upcoming term.

Before applying, please first speak with the course convenor(s) to obtain information on the course content, expertise needed and role requirements. 

Please note: remember to use your UNSW zID email address in the webform below, i.e. zID@unsw.edu.au.

Apply here: MME Demonstrator Application Webform

Successful demonstrator applicants: Notification & interviews 

The School receives close to 800 demonstrator applications each year.With so many applications annually, demonstrating for the School is a very competitive process. 

The course convenor will contact shortlisted applicants. 

They may be required to attend an informal interview (in person, online or over the phone; and maybe in a group) to discuss: 

• course content 
• expertise required 
• duties/tasks required 
• hours required 
• expectations and qualifications
• material and resources required 

If successful in obtaining a demonstrator position, the School will send a welcome Onboarding email to your UNSW email account. 

If unsuccessful, you’re welcome to apply again next year. 

If selected for the job, your initial work schedule will be entered into the web-interface CASTLE by the Course Convenor.  The work schedule data in CASTLE will then be automated to the University’s recruitment platform, UniHire in order to issue you an employment contract for the term and complete all relevant casual academic hire processes.

Please note, if you don't have a Tax File Number, you should apply for one through the Australian Taxation Office as soon as possible. 

If you’re an international student, you'll be asked to provide a copy of your passport and student visa if this is your first time demonstrating. If you have a doctorate, you’ll be asked to provide a copy of your testamur. 

You must supply all employment documentation, requested by UniHire including relevant qualifications/Fit2Work checks before the start of term and sign your online letter of Offer of Employment before you commence work. Until these steps are completed you will not be legally permitted to commence work in term at UNSW.

The first pay cycle for all casual academics each term commences in Week 5. From then onwards, you’ll be automatically paid fortnightly according to the work hours displayed in your schedule in CASTLE. 

It’s your responsibility to ensure that you work the hours allocated to you. The School will not guarantee payment for any additional work you undertake above the hours allocated in your CASTLE schedule, unless you have been given prior written approval.   

If you have been asked to do additional hours, before taking on the extra work, first check the guidelines about Workload Restrictions (which can be found on this webpage). 

If you’ve been asked to work additional hours, before taking on the extra work, first check the guidelines about Workload Restrictions. Variations must be pre-approved by the course coordinator and entered and approved in CASTLE.

Please note: the School does not use the HR timesheets in MyUNSW, please ignore these and do not use.

When taking on extra hours, you need to:   

•  Check these hours have been added to your CASTLE schedule, before doing the work.   

      OR  

•  A) Confirm the maximum claimable hours for the task beforehand in writing, and then B) after doing the work, tell your course convenor how many hours you actually did so they may add them to your schedule.    

You have the right to refuse any additional hours requested of you. 

During the term, you can request to reduce your scheduled work hours by either transferring them to another demonstrator or simply dropping them. Discuss this with your course convenor. 

If you notice an error in your CASTLE schedule, notify your course convenor immediately. 

You'll be paid for attending training (if applicable), however, note these training hours are not shown in your CASTLE schedule.  

Update your bank account or view your payslip: sign in to myUNSW > My Staff Profile tab > Payroll Information > Update My Bank Account or View Payslip. 

All new demonstrators to our School are required to complete the mandatory training in Week 0: 

• 4-hour training program conducted by UNSW Engineering. 

• 1-hour training program conducted by the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. 

• 4x short online UNSW HR employee training modules.

Our school will provide you with links to register for these training sessions at the commencement of your employment. 

Please be aware that you can only attend the training sessions for the term you’re demonstrating for, e.g. if you’ll be demonstrating in term 2, you cannot participate in the training sessions in term 1. 

You will not be permitted to work as a demonstrator until you have completed this training. 

For 30-minutes in one of your classes during the term, your course convenor will review your performance. You’ll then receive feedback to ensure consistency in course delivery.

1. IT Assistance and the High Performance Computing Cluster   
2. UNSW Code of Conduct   
3. UNSW Conflict of Interest Policy   
4. UNSW Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement 
5. UNSW Expectations for Sessional Staff Members   
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